KRRC to Build New Water Infrastructure for City of Yreka

KLAMATH BASIN – The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), in coordination with the City of Yreka, has selected the final design for a new, state-of-the-art water line for the City. The entire anticipated cost of the $4 million project will be paid for by KRRC.

Matt Cox, KRRC Director of Communications, noted that this robust and upgraded water line will replace the aging line that would be impacted by the removal of Iron Gate Dam.

“The water line replacement project will be constructed prior to dam removal, and there will be no interruption to the Yreka water supply,” said Cox. “KRRC has committed from the very beginning of our project to leave local infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, in as good or better shape than we found them. This new water line is an example of our commitment to fulfilling that promise. The current water line would have eventually needed replacement even without the KRRC project, so City residents are receiving a very substantial benefit.”

The design includes a waterline relocation attached to a pipe bridge over the Klamath River. The design will accommodate stringent seismic and flood criteria. Appropriately designed ballistic and other protections will be a key part of the design, and the pipe bridge solution will allow for future ease of maintenance compared to the existing pipe, which runs along the bottom of the reservoir.

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The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as part of the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). KRRC is part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River so that it can support all communities in the basin. Signatories of the amended KHSA incude the states of California and Oregon, local governments, tribal nations, dam owner PacifiCorp, irrigators, and several conservation and fishing groups. KRRC was formed for the sole purpose of taking ownership of four PacifiCorp dams — J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 & 2, and Iron Gate – and then removing these dams, restoring formerly inundated lands, and implementing required mitigation measures in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. KRRC’s work is funded by PacifiCorp customer surcharges and California Proposition 1 water bond funds.

KRRC values transparency and cooperation with all stakeholders and is committed to working with residents and governments to minimize any nuisance or negative impacts while enhancing the project’s local benefits.